Saturday marks marijuana culture’s high holiday, 4/20, when college students gather — at 4:20 p.m. — in clouds of smoke on campus quads and pot shops in legal-weed states thank their customers with discounts.
This year’s edition provides an occasion for activists to reflect on how far their movement has come, with recreational pot now allowed in nearly half the states and the nation’s capital. Many states have instituted “social equity” measures to help communities of color, harmed the most by the drug war, reap financial benefits from legalization. And the White House has shown an openness to marijuana reform.
(T)he prevailing explanation is that it started in the 1970s with a group of bell-bottomed buddies from San Rafael High School, in California’s Marin County north of San Francisco, who called themselves “the Waldos.” A friend’s brother was afraid of getting busted for a patch of cannabis he was growing in the woods at nearby Point Reyes, so he drew a map and gave the teens permission to harvest the crop, the story goes.
During fall 1971, at 4:20 p.m., just after classes and football practice, the group would meet up at the school’s statue of chemist Louis Pasteur, smoke a joint and head out to search for the weed patch. They never did find it, but their private lexicon — “420 Louie” and later just “420” — would take on a life of its own.
Stoners are such a strong cultural force they took Hitler’s birthday away from the neo nazis. The Columbine shooting couldn’t even reclaim that date. 420 is for stoners, and god bless them for it.
Big mood.
Fuck Nazis, get high, hate no-one
I found this out the hard way with my coworker
Come on bro you’ve heard of 420. Just Google it bro it’s a big day for those who know
Hitlers birthday?
Ah… No the other thing
Columbine high school massacre?
Noooo
BP oil disaster?
Ya know what never mind
Okay, they’re definitely fucking with you by the BP thing
I first heard about 4/20 being a stoner holiday way back when G4 was around and Code Monkies did an episode on it with the main character getting super stoked that it was Hitler’s birthday.
This article talks about activism, but the lack of activism is the problem and why I honestly don’t like it. It should be a day of activism, but it’s “let’s all get high and party” instead.
Not only has the drug war incarcerated a huge number of people over a plant that hasn’t even been processed like cocaine or heroin, the medical use is really important. I know because I don’t use it for fun, I use it as a pain modifier for my trigeminal neuralgia and when I don’t have access to it, the pain is much more intense. If 4/20 was about promoting legal use and promoting the medical properties over having a big party, I’d love it, but it isn’t.
If it became “let’s all have a big party” after it is legalized nationally, I’ll join up with the rest of the party team. But until then, I’ll just keep doing my regular activism and ignore any significance of tomorrow as if it’s a special holiday.
And if I’m imbibing on 4/20 at 4:20, it will be because I’m in too much pain, not because I’m celebrating.
(I’m guessing I just pissed a bunch of people off. Oh well.)
Please check out NORML.org
I’ve been a supporter for quite some time. They’re really trying to make a strong grassroots presence and bring change along with peer reviewed studies.
(I’m guessing I just pissed a bunch of people off. Oh well.)
If someone’s angry that’s on them, not you.
Kind of a shit take (like all of your takes are). People are allowed to have fun and be activists. Celebration is activism. Think about gay pride. Having a 4/20 party further normalizes cannabis in our culture.
Kind of a shit take (like all of your takes are).
So, definitely not biased then.
Imagine trying to beef with FlyingSquid…
I never said people weren’t allowed to.
No, but you’ll be weird and judgemental if they do.
Like you’re being now?
Oh, please 🙄 Dude knew their opinion was shitty that’s why they were like “everyone is gonna be mad”. Their opinion is that nobody should party on 4/20 until it’s legalized, which is dumb as hell for the reasons I already described.
That was not my opinion. Maybe don’t speak on my behalf?
Most activists are active year round, not just one day a year. Give them that one day to unwind and show people why the plant isn’t a harmful substance and remind them why they’re fighting to prove it’s right to be legal.
Plus a lot of countries are legalizing in the west. Not everyone lives in the USA.
There’s activism happening around 4/20. My dispensary is getting folks to post their experiences with medical use, and getting them to sign a petition and giving out stickers promoting my state’s recreational bill. Plus sometimes it’s fun to have fun. Having a single day (and time) to make it a cultural event helps with activism by removing the stigma against it.
I don’t celebrate 4/20 because I use it medicinally, but I’m glad it’s a thing if only because it makes everybody forget Hitler’s birthday.
but I’m glad it’s a thing if only because it makes everybody forget Hitler’s birthday.
Okay, that’s fair.
dude weed lmao
